“It seems we caught an Ascendant,” Kerish said, setting the Ascendant down and steadying her frozen limbs so she didn’t fall over.
“You brought her here?” Soltighan sounded even more astonished than Richard.
“I know what it means,” Willow said, answering his unspoken question, which was Can we afford to let her live? “I want to know what she has to say. Claudia, will you release her?”
The bound woman immediately began struggling, and Kerish put his hand on her elbow so she wouldn’t fall. “You will release me at once,” she snapped. “The King will not be gentle with you when he hears what you’ve done to me.”
“I think the pretender will be angry with you for letting yourself be captured,” Willow said. “It was a good trick, though. I’m ashamed to say you fooled me. Come up with it yourself?”
“Release me!”
“You don’t really think we’d do that, do you?”
Marietta spat in Willow’s direction. It fell short to spatter one of her boots. Willow rubbed the spittle off on the dry grass underfoot. “I’m not sure what that meant, but I’m guessing ‘no’,” she said.
“I’ll tell you nothing.”
“What, and miss your opportunity to brag about how you’ll destroy us all once you’re free? Come on. Tell me your plan.”
“You’re doomed. There are more of us every day, and we will crush you under our heels.”
“So you’re working together? You’re right, that worries me. But I’m pretty sure it will never happen.”
Marietta laughed. “You’ll never reach Aurilien. There are hundreds of us coming to meet you. An army of Ascendants, poised to strike. You nip at us like insects, drawing a little blood here and there, but we will swat you down before the city gates.”
“Where is your army? I’ve even got a map handy.”
“Hah! You’re going to kill me whether I talk or not. Besides, you can’t trust anything I say. I could be lying. Probably am lying, since I’d never give filthy traitors the truth.”
Willow glanced at Claudia, asking a question with her eyes. Claudia shook her head minutely. So, torture would be pointless. “You know, I respect that,” she lied, and Marietta’s gleeful expression slipped, turning confused for a moment. “So I’m going to let you go. You can take a message to Terence for me. No matter how many Ascendants he throws at us, we’ll still come out victorious. And we’re coming for him. Do you think you can remember all that?”
“You lie.” Marietta looked uncertain.
“I don’t need to lie to you. It’s not to my benefit. Soltighan, find someone to escort the lady back to the road and see her on her way.”
“Lady North—”
Willow glared at Soltighan. “Don’t make me ask twice.”
Soltighan shook his head, but left the tent, hauling Marietta, still bound, beside him. The moment they were gone, Richard said, “We can’t let her go. She knows where our camp is.”
“Where it was,” Willow said. “Get everyone moving. We’re breaking camp. I’ll be back later.”
She ducked out of the tent before anyone could stop her and ran to her tent, shrugging out of her coat as she went. Quietly, so as not to wake Felix, she found her other coat, the thin one made of dark gray felt, and her knit cap. She checked the bindings on her wrist knife and patted her wand, securely sheathed on her right thigh. Then she stopped for a moment to look at Felix, sleeping sprawled out as usual. She’d nearly failed him tonight. Now she had to make up for it.
When she emerged from the tent, Kerish was waiting, his arms crossed over his chest. He was backlit by the fire, but she could see the frown on his face clearly. “You’re going to follow her,” he said.
“I always knew you were smart.”
“I always thought you were, too. Willow, this is madness.”
“How? I’m just going to trail behind her until she leads me to the Ascendant army.”
“We have spies for that. You’re not familiar with this territory—you’ll never find your way back to camp. And odds are some of those Ascendants will have sensory powers to know you’re there if you do manage to trail her all the way to their army. Please, Willow. Let me kill her. Or let Claudia do it.”
“That Ascendant knows where the so-called Ascendant army is. We need her to—”
Kerish took Willow by both arms and shook her gently. “This is about your guilt and your pride. Don’t try to tell me about what ‘we’ need.”
“Let me go. I have to pick up her trail before she goes too far.”
“All right.” Kerish released her. “But you have to tell Felix where you’re going. If you don’t come back, I’m not going to explain why you went without saying goodbye.”
It felt as if he’d slapped her. Willow closed her eyes and her fists. The heat of the fire played over her skin. “Damn you, Kerish.”
“Willow.” She opened her eyes to see he’d turned away and was poking the fire. “You’re used to taking action. It’s something I love about you. But you’re no longer in a position to race into danger.”
“I’m still better at following someone—”
“Willow. It’s not about what you’re good at. It’s about what you can do that no one else can. We have a hundred soldiers who can follow that Ascendant. We only have one woman who can decide where the army should go and make agreements with the ruling lords. Only one woman who can argue Lord Quinn into submission. You’re not Willow North the midnighter anymore. You’re Willow North, the…” Kerish cursed, startling Willow. “I don’t think there’s a word for what you are.”
She shook her head. “Stubborn and bull-headed.”
“That’s two words.”
“I didn’t think one would be enough.”
Kerish chuckled. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“That changing is so hard.”
Willow put her arms around him and let him draw her into his embrace. “I’m glad I have you to remind me of the truth.”
Kerish kissed the top of her head. “Always.” He released her. “If you’re really bent on letting that Marietta woman go, you need to arrange for someone, maybe a couple of people, to follow her. I’ll start striking the tent. Everyone’s going to be cranky in the morning.”
“Better cranky than incinerated or drowned by an Ascendant.” Willow kissed him lightly and ran for the command tent.
“I have already arranged for it,” Soltighan said when she told him what she wanted. He wouldn’t meet her eyes, and he stood more stiffly even than usual. “She will be followed, and my men will report back to our new location.”
“You know I wanted to do that myself.”
“Yes.”
Willow let out a slow breath. “Thanks for overruling me.”
“You are a woman of action. I understand.”
“I ought to cite you for insubordination. But that would mean turning you over to Lord Quinn, and you know how I feel about that.”
“I will accept whatever punishment you choose to mete.” Soltighan smiled, the tiniest twitch of his lips.
“Well, your punishment will be to help break camp and move it five miles west.”
“A fitting punishment.”
“I’m glad you agree.”
She bumped into Richard Quinn as she was leaving the command tent. “I’d have thought you’d be with the Waxwold troops,” she said.
“I’m going there now, but I wanted to be sure you hadn’t done anything crazy.”
“Not today. Give me a few hours, and I might be able to come up with something.”
Richard didn’t laugh. “Is something wrong?” Willow said.
“A warning,” he said. “Don’t give my father cause to challenge you for leadership of this army.”
“I don’t understand.”
Richard glanced around, looking for anyone who might be close enough to hear. “If he sees an opportunity to take power, he will take it. Even if it means breaking your agreement. You
are an obstacle in his path, and he crushes obstacles whenever he can.”
“Should you be telling me this?”
“I’m his heir. I’m not his slave. And I’m not blind. Just because I’m not interested in becoming Count of Waxwold right now doesn’t mean I’m not aware of where my destiny lies. You’re focused on making Felix King. Father just wants power. Just—remember that.”
He walked away before Willow could respond. She stood staring after him until he vanished among the tents, then went back to her own tent, musing over his words. It wasn’t new information, but it was a new source. That Richard could speak so candidly against his own father suggested Willow’s position was even more precarious than she’d thought. She shuddered, remembered she was wearing her thin midnighter’s coat, and walked a little faster. They’d move camp, and snatch what sleep they could, and in the morning…in the morning, they were marching for Aurilien.
Chapter Nineteen
Willow took a bite out of the bread and cheese she held. It tasted dry, but she’d been too impatient to wait for the camp kitchen to come up with something hot. She paced the command tent, not looking at the messenger who stood at its center, grimy and bloodstained. “How can Terence arrest a ruling lord?” she said to the tent at large. “And try her for treason?”
“He’s overstepped his bounds now,” Lord Quinn said.
“I’m pretty sure murdering his brother and stealing the Crown was overstepping his bounds, Alric.”
“Yes, but the ruling lords could overlook that so long as he left them their autonomy. Sending Ascendants to terrorize Donald Frazier in his own home was bad enough. Arresting Anastasia Harcourt for treason…” Lord Quinn shook his head. “This will bring the rest of them to our side.”
“That’s good, but it won’t be soon enough. And if Lady Harcourt is a prisoner, she can’t order the Cullinan troops to join us.” Willow stopped in front of the messenger. “You’re sure of this news?”
“My lady, it was all anyone could talk about,” the boy said. “Treston was in unrest and there were soldiers in Valant colors everywhere, keeping the peace. So to speak. And I heard there were Ascendants in the Countess’s manor, though I never saw one. The town was on the verge of riot.”
“I wonder that the pretender did not simply send Ascendants to raze the town, as he did elsewhere in County Cullinan,” Soltighan said.
“He can’t afford to,” Richard said. “Treston is a major trading hub—it’s nearly as big as Aurilien. He may be power-mad, but he’s not stupid. Destroying Treston would be like cutting off his own hand.”
“Thank you,” Willow told the messenger. “Go to the infirmary for treatment, then get yourself a hot meal.” She bit into her bread and cheese again and resumed her pacing. “So. Lady Harcourt is on our side, but in no position to help anyone, not even herself. There’s no longer any point in going to Treston. We need to push on to Aurilien.”
“Unless we can bring the Cullinan troops to our side in the name of King Felix,” Lord Quinn said.
“I considered that. But if Treston is as overrun by Valant forces and Ascendants as that boy said, we’d see tremendous losses that might not be offset by the addition of the Cullinan troops. And it will give Terence more time to get his Ascendant army, if it exists, into place at Aurilien. No, Aurilien is our goal, and we need to make for it as quickly as possible.” She turned to Soltighan. “What did your spies learn?”
“That the Ascendant, Marietta, exaggerated somewhat the size of the Ascendant army. It is still quite large, but nothing we cannot handle, provided we can take them by surprise and not the other way around. I suspect, however, that there are other Ascendant forces elsewhere. If Kerish is correct, and they are limited by the amount of source they can draw on, they will be unwilling to join together in a single force. But this will not prevent them attacking in a coordinated manner.”
“Can we bypass them?”
“They did not move when Marietta returned to them yesterday night. They are likely on the move now, but toward our previous camp. If we break camp immediately after breakfast and head north, we will slip past them. It puts them behind us, which could become a problem, but I think diligence and watchfulness will be our allies.”
“Then let’s do that. Order the troops to break camp after everyone’s eaten. We’re not in such a hurry that we have to starve ourselves, and I want everyone in peak fighting condition.”
Soltighan and Richard nodded and excused themselves. Lord Quinn stayed where he was, his face carefully neutral in a way that said Willow ought to step cautiously. Willow said, “Well?”
“We’re not a large enough force to face the Valant troops,” Lord Quinn said, “especially when they’re combined with the Aurilien city guard and the Tremontanan Army.”
“The Army’s not much more than a token these days, according to Richard.”
“Even a token means more men we have to fight. We’re not ready to take Aurilien.”
“Is that your opinion, or Richard’s?”
“I won’t stand by and let you risk this army just because you’re impatient for glory.”
Willow laughed, incredulous. “Me, looking for glory? Alric, you don’t know me at all.”
“Then what is it that makes you so eager to bloody our forces on the walls of Aurilien?”
“I—” Willow realized she still had food in her hand and took a bite to give herself time to think. Was she being impatient? She wanted this to be over, true, and she longed for a time when she wasn’t Lady Willow North anymore, but surely she wasn’t being reckless? “You yourself said winter was fast approaching. Winters are mild in the lowlands, but there’s no sense prolonging our campaign just because Aurilien doesn’t get as snowy as elsewhere. And we’ve got momentum I don’t want to waste.”
Lord Quinn eyed her suspiciously. “I think you have other reasons.”
“Really? What are they, then?”
He shook his head. “Just don’t let them interfere with our plans. If I think you’re making a play for personal power, I’ll take the Waxwold troops and we’ll take our chances with the Ascendants on our own.”
Willow leaned in so she was inches from Lord Quinn’s face. “I’ve heard it said that people attribute their own worst character traits to others,” she said. “Don’t think I don’t know you’re only in this for the regency.”
They stared each other down for a few moments, each willing the other to break first. Throw him a bone, Willow thought, and stepped away, still glaring. Then she bowed and left the tent.
She returned to her own tent and began packing their belongings. Kerish and Felix were both gone, probably to the mess tent for breakfast. Her stomach rumbled around the bread and cheese. A bowl of porridge sounded soothing, but she was too full for any more food. She folded blankets and stowed them in the trunk. They were already traveling as lightly as they could, given the demands of their political wardrobe, but surely they didn’t need all these things.
“We’re moving out?” Claudia said from behind her.
“Yes. We have to outrun the Ascendant ‘army’. Someday one of those Ascendants is going to get close enough to us to steal something they can track us by, and then we really will be in trouble. But for now, we can stay ahead of them.”
“That’s comforting. Willow? Can I talk to you about something?”
“Go ahead.”
“I mean in private.”
“There’s no one else here.”
“What I have to say shouldn’t be said where anyone can hear.”
Willow dropped her sleep shirt into the trunk and closed it. “That sounds dire.”
Claudia shook her head and walked away, not waiting to see if Willow would follow.
They left the camp and followed the stream it lay next to, traveling upstream. Claudia kicked rocks into the stream occasionally, or laid a hand on the trunks of the willow trees lining it. Beneath the drooping branches, even denuded as they were of leaves, Willow had
the feeling she and Claudia were alone in the world, though she could still see the camp when she looked over her shoulder.
“You know I care about Felix,” Claudia said.
“Yes. Is this—is something wrong with him?”
“That depends on what you mean by ‘wrong.’ He’s perfectly healthy, don’t worry about that. And he’s cheerful, for someone in his position. And maybe that’s the problem.”
“You think he shouldn’t be cheerful?”
Claudia turned her gaze on Willow. “I think,” she said, “he’s never going to be suited to being King.”
Willow remained silent. “I realize that might be considered treason,” Claudia said, “and maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this. But I care about him, and I care about my country, and I’m not sure either of them is well-served by Felix becoming King.”
Hearing her own words to Janida echoed back at her left Willow momentarily wordless. “I see,” she finally managed. “So, assuming that’s true, and assuming you have the right to make that decision for Felix, what are you suggesting?”
Claudia shook her head. “I realize it’s arrogant. But I was hoping…never mind. Forget I said anything.”
“No. You’re not wrong.” Willow drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I already know Felix shouldn’t be King. And I’m going to do something about it.”
Claudia’s eyes widened. “Do what?”
“I’m going to choose another person to take the Crown. Then I’m going to make Felix disappear.”
“You can’t,” Claudia breathed. “It’s not possible.”
“Of course it is. I haven’t worked out all the details yet, but I’m going to make sure Felix has a life outside all this.”
“You can’t just make him disappear, though. So long as anyone believes Felix is alive, the country will be in turmoil, and the legitimacy of whoever does hold the Crown will be questioned.”
“They’ll stop talking about it eventually.”
“No, they won’t. Anyone who doesn’t like your new King or Queen will use Felix’s name to wage war against that person. They’ll never forget the missing heir to the Crown.”
Champion of the Crown Page 23